TIFF 2013 Day 2: Jason Reitman Live Reading

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TIFF 2013 Day 2: Jason Reitman Live Reading

While TIFF Day 1 didn’t particularly start off on a high note, TIFF day two was significantly better. After all, I was going to see a one-time only live reading of Boogie Nights directed by Jason Reitman!

The cast of this version of Boogie Nights included Jason Sudeikis, Olivia Wilde, Dakota Fanning, Josh Brolin, Dane Cook, Scott Thompson, Jordan Hayes, Jarod Einsohn, Marc-André Grondin and Jesse Eisenberg. Most of the cast suited their roles. However, Eisenberg in the role of Dirk Diggler (as originated by Mark Wahlberg) was completely miscast in the best way possible.

Case in point: when Jesse’s character (who plays a budding pornstar by the way), performs a song he wrote on his own. What resulted was a hilariously, awkward performance.

I was a bit surprised however, to see Dane Cook in Toronto. I’m not quite sure why he was in town, but it was a little strange to see him playing a role originated by John C. Reilly. While I’m not a big fan of his work, he was actually pretty good!

Other good parts were couple Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis. Can I just say that they are pretty adorable together? When they were seated, I saw Wilde give her beau a cheeky little wink.

A bit of a shocker was Dakota Fanning, who took on the role of a high school turned porn star Rollergirl that was originally played by Heather Graham. It totally makes sense for Dakota to take on the role, as she kind of looks like Graham. But knowing that she’s the child from I am Sam, it’s kind of weird seeing her all grown up and around my age too!

I can totally see why Jason Reitman decided to do Boogie Nights as a live reading. The dialogue in the script is simply delicious. No special effects or fancy costumes. These live reads are amazing because it solely relies on the actors’ talents. And for that, I keep coming back for more!

After the live read, my friend and I decided to head over to Princess of Wales to try to get a glimpse of Benedict Cumberbatch. That failed…but I did get to see Brad Pitt and Michael Fassbender! Still doesn’t beat Benedict though. To this day, I keep feeling sad that I missed him! Hopefully he comes back to Toronto again soon!

Overall, Day 2 was quite good. The only sad thing was missing Benedict. But hey, Michael Fassbender is a pretty good alternative! (I couldn’t get any pics though. Too many people and it was too dark. I swear in Toronto…if you blink, you’ll miss it!)